Sage-Tips

Can I have more than 8 electrons around an atom?

Main group elements that form more bonds than would be predicted by the octet rule are called hypervalent compounds, and have what is known as an ‘expanded octet,’ meaning that there are more than eight electrons around one atom.

Why can an atom not have more than 8 valence electrons?

This is because of the quantum nature of the atoms, where electrons are organized in shells: the first (named the K shell) has 2 electrons, the second (L-shell) has 8, the third (M shell) has 18. Atoms combine into molecules by trying in most cases to have valence electrons entirely filling a shell.

Which of the following atoms can have more than 8?

Sulfur, phosphorus, silicon, and chlorine are common examples of elements that form an expanded octet. Phosphorus pentachloride (PCl5) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) are examples of molecules that deviate from the octet rule by having more than 8 electrons around the central atom.

Why can iodine have 10 electrons?

So, iodine can use all of these electrons in chemical bonding: 2 in the 5s, 5 in the 5p and up to 10 in the 4d, although it only needs to use 4 of its 4d electrons to do the bonding in this molecule. Hence it can have more than 8 electrons involved in its bonding.

What conditions are required for an atom to have more than 8 electrons?

octet rule: Atoms lose, gain, or share electrons in order to have a full valence shell of eight electrons. Hydrogen is an exception because it can hold a maximum of two electrons in its valence level.

Which of the following atom can have more than 8 outermost electrons when it forms a covalent compound?

Chlorine is your answer… chlorine can have more than 8 electrons because they are not restricted to the s and p orbitals and have a d orbital for additional electrons needed for bonding.

Which of the following atoms can have more than 8 outermost electrons then it forms a covalent compound?

Answer: Only atoms with empty d orbital can achieve more than 8 electrons in a covalent bond. The electronic configuration of sulphur in ground state is [Ne]3s2 3p4.

Why can’t an atom have more than 8 electrons?

The shells of an atom cannot accommodate more than 8 electrons, even if it has a capacity to accommodate more electrons. This is a very important rule called the Octet rule. According to this rule, atoms gain, loose or share electrons to achieve the stable configuration similar to the nearest noble gas.

How many electrons can the shell of an atom accommodate?

The shells of an atom cannot accommodate more than 8 electrons, even if it has a capacity to accommodate more electrons. This is a very important rule called the Octet rule.

Can the valence shell hold more than 8 electrons?

The short answer is, your question is wrongly based because unless you define the valence shell in some way that it is only a valence shell with no more than 8 electrons, then the valence shell CAN hold more than 8 electrons by utilising d or f orbitals.

Why do atoms prefer octets over valence electrons?

If there are sufficiently strong compensating energy factors, even atoms that strongly prefer octets can form stable compounds with more (or less) than the 8 valence shell electrons.